Deepcrush wrote:Plus it means they'll suck a lot less then the Grey Knights.

Hmmm... every model with artificer armor, storm bolter, and force weapon... I'm not sure if that counts as suck.

I was Dark Angels then Tau which are both plasma and melta happy. Grey Knights are expensive and die very quickly to my guns.

Mikey wrote:Scouts:

Scouts are distributed among the squads in each company, and are rotated regularly among the different types of squad (and among the apothecarium and armory, as well) in order to expose each scout to the different specialties and determine each scout's area of expertise. At any given time, a scout is attached to each assault, tac, dev, and bike squad per company. All wear scout armor, of course. Assault-squad scouts will be mounted on scout bikes (twin-linked bolter) and carry a bolt pistol, frag and krak grenades, and a shotgun. Bike-squad scouts will trade their bike's bolters for a grenade launcher, add cluster mines to the squad, and carry a bolt pistol. Dev squad scouts will have bolt pistol, grenades, and a sniper rifle; and tac squad scouts willhave bolt pistol, grenades, and a heavy bolter with hellfire shells.

I like the rotation idea. Its a good way to make sure that no recruit is wasted and is able to find their place within the chapter. How do you plan to deal with recruits that fail to become Astartes? Some chapters turn them to servitors, or slaves (not much of a difference really) or even crews for their ships. The Ultramarines, Black Templars and Dark Angels instead turn them into Housecarls which is an idea I personally like. As numbers are a constant issue for you, this could be something to look into.

* Individual captains may sub a storm bolter (with or without Hellfire shells) for the lightning claw and plasma pistol.

So your Company HQ is a mobile unit. That is awesome! Even better is that it means a scout will have the chance at some point to serve along side the best warriors in his company. Not only a great honor but a great learning experience.

Deepcrush wrote:I was Dark Angels then Tau which are both plasma and melta happy. Grey Knights are expensive and die very quickly to my guns.

Yeah, I could see that. Then again, some people think chaplains are a weakness because of the point cost and low T, even though they have the rosarius invulnerability save...

Deepcrush wrote:I like the rotation idea. Its a good way to make sure that no recruit is wasted and is able to find their place within the chapter. How do you plan to deal with recruits that fail to become Astartes? Some chapters turn them to servitors, or slaves (not much of a difference really) or even crews for their ships. The Ultramarines, Black Templars and Dark Angels instead turn them into Housecarls which is an idea I personally like. As numbers are a constant issue for you, this could be something to look into.

Because the gene-seed gets processed so slowly (I'm thinking every set has to get sent to Terra or mars for testing or something like that,) this is also a way to protect the chapter's investment - each scout is among a squad of 10 Astartes, rather than 5 Arbites. As far as failed recruits, I was thinking something more typical, like the latter - most will become chapter serfs, ship crew, etc.

Deepcrush wrote:So your Company HQ is a mobile unit. That is awesome!

It only made sense, considering the way they work. Besides, it means I don't have to dedicate any of my limited number of transports to moving an HQ squad, and the banner a/o apothecary can get to where it needs to go in a hurry. Wait until you see what these guys wear:

Chaplains

The reclusiam comprises 9 company chaplains, plus two reclusiarchs and the chapter's Master of Sanctity.

Mikey wrote:Yeah, I could see that. Then again, some people think chaplains are a weakness because of the point cost and low T, even though they have the rosarius invulnerability save...

My Dark Angels tac squads had Sgt/plasma pistol +two plasmas in the squad + one melta. Made for happy times and I thought that was great until I played Farsight w/ full bodyguard for the first time!

Mikey wrote:Because the gene-seed gets processed so slowly (I'm thinking every set has to get sent to Terra or mars for testing or something like that,) this is also a way to protect the chapter's investment - each scout is among a squad of 10 Astartes, rather than 5 Arbites. As far as failed recruits, I was thinking something more typical, like the latter - most will become chapter serfs, ship crew, etc.

I only brought up Housecarls to help boost your battlefield numbers.

Mikey wrote:It only made sense, considering the way they work. Besides, it means I don't have to dedicate any of my limited number of transports to moving an HQ squad, and the banner a/o apothecary can get to where it needs to go in a hurry. Wait until you see what these guys wear:

Yeah, saving armor has to be a big deal for your guys.

Mikey wrote:Chaplains

The reclusiam comprises 9 company chaplains, plus two reclusiarchs and the chapter's Master of Sanctity.

"He was the best of us. They struck without provocation, there was no reason. Animals! Brutal! They deserve no mercy! Strike them down, follow them back to their base and kill all of them, all of them! No mercy!" - Delenn

The Revenants have an odd outlook toward librarians. While their connection with the Warp does fit in (in a small way) with the chapter cult, Corax' intial opposition to Magnus at the Council of Nikaea still remains in their philosophy. As it stands, Librarians are generally looked down upon until proven - at which point, they are hailed as much as any other proven battle-brother.

Librarians aren't attached to any company, and are assigned to ops individually or in groups as necessary The librarium comprises:

As a legacy from their parent legion, the Revenants have a healthy respect for technology and thusly their chapter Techmarines. While the chaplains may mutter about the Techmarines' leanings toward the Cult Mechanicus, no battle-brother would ever question a Techmarine's loyalty, bravery, or dedication. The rust-red of the Techmarines' armor may be found repeated on the chapter's tanks and APC's as well as on its Thunderfire cannons.

Deepcrush wrote:These guys are drool worthy Mikey, you've done a great job with them. Well thought out, well balanced and well written.

I appreciate it. I tried to follow codex squad types, while rearranging things to fit the ideas I had (and the ones that developed in the process.) I'll get dreadnoughts up soon - only four, and one will be a venerable dreadnought who volunteered to come over from the Raven Guard and lend his wisdom - and then tidy up and compile all the listings in one section as well as add the fluff (history, chapter cult, all that stuff.)

"We've been over this. We don't shoot first and ask questions later.""Of course! We never ask questions."

Sounds good, I'll look forward to reading it. At some point I'm going to have to stop being lazy and get around to writing up the naval section of my 40k fic. Problem is I'm not really on good terms with the navy... in many ways, though this would include how to write up a proper navy.

The Revenants chapter of the Adeptus Astartes was founded in 927.M41, primarily to offset the losses of the Badab War - losses due both to actual combat losses and to those chapters sent on penitent crusades. Work was begun as early as 912.M41, and in the next 25 years the Magi Genetor of the Adeptus Mechanicus repaired the gene-seed of the Raven Guard to a point at which it was declared fit for a new founding. Early indications were promising, and in 929 Zechariah Dyvik - already a seasoned commander of men and would-be Astartes candidate (if he had come from a world normally recruited by the Space Marines) - succesfully completed an accelerated implantation/indoctrination schedule and became the first Revenant. He was sent to live, fight, train, and study with his parent chapter - the Raven Guard - en route to becoming chapter master of the soon-to-be formed Revenants. In the meantime, suitable candidates were found to become the captains, chaplains, and sergeants of the chapter; then the bulk of the brotherhood was recruited and created. Finally, in 941.M41, Dyvik was united with his chapter. Selecting a world relatively close to where he studied, Dyvik settled the Revenants on a Halo world at the southeastern part of Segmentum Tempestus known as Tholos. Tholos itself is a rocky world of plains, hills, and karst landscapes where the Revenants built their fortress-monastery - known as "The Crypt" - both on the surface and in vast subterranean excavations. Tholos' three natural satellites serve as dockyards for the chapter fleet and orbital defense outposts.

Since their founding, settlement, and indoctrination, the Revenants have yet to participate in a conflict involving the full chapter. However, individual companies and/or combined-arms elements have participated in the Balur Crusade against Orks in 944.M41; the Second Tyrannic War in 993.M41, against a flanking offshoot of Hive Fleet Kraken; and in the Zeist Campaign against the Tau in 999.M41; as well as against the Necron Maynarkh dynasty in the Orpheus Sector, against Duke Sliscus' Sky Serpents Dark Eldar corsairs, and in the smaller-scale skirmishes common to most chapters. The lessons learned from these engagements, as well as those learned from the Raven Guard - both in practice and in genetic disposition - have cemented the Revenants' combat philosophy of fast, hard-hitting assaults along with ambush, surprise, and misdirection. In addition, their youth as a chapter and self-sufficiency of many of the worlds in their area have lent themselves to the heavy usage of high-tech weaponry and wargear.

The congenital defects of the Raven Guard and their later foundings still mostly exist within the Revenants. The Betcher's Gland is absent, and the defect in the melanchrome still is still present, causing Revenants to develop their characteristic pallid skin and jet-black hair and eyes. The mucranoid, however, has been repaired to an extent, as detailed below. Because of the earlier issues with the genetic line the creation of neophytes is a slow process, with rigorous genetic testing being the norm and approval from Terra required every generation.

Reclusiam and chapter cult

Like most Astartes chapters, the Revenants do not follow the same dogma as the Imperial Cult. However, the recent founding of the chapter has lent itself to some of the more supernatural beliefs of the modern Ecclesiarchy becoming incorporated into the chapter cult. The renewal of the Raven Guard gene-seed, the slow process of Revenant initiation, and the continued superficial defect of the melanchrome which plagues the Raven Guard have all led to a chapter-wide philosophy of viewing the major milestones in life as being times of death and undeath. The transformation of a recruit into a Space Marine is seen this way; in a symbolic way, so is the activation of the mucranoid before a campaign. The mucranoid was repaired in the process of founding the chapter, but it is not perfect - the activation can be an arduous and painful process for the individual Marine, and often involves very brief periods of fever and cataleptic states. Because of this, the activation of a unit's mucranoids is as much a ritual as a medical process and is overseen by a chaplain as well as administered by an apothecary. The Emperor's deathless state on the Golden Throne is seen as the highest example of service in a state of undeath, and is referenced in the chapter's liturgies. Brothers are often considered to be reborn from their original human state into an undeath as an avenging spirit.

The Reclusiam itself comprises a Master of Sanctity, two reclusiarchs, and the company chaplains. They wear the traditional black armor and skull helmets of Astartes chaplains, and are equipped as follows:

Librarians are oddly viewed in two ways within the Revenants. The chapter was founded amidst acceptance of the Codex Astartes and the normalcy of librarians. However, Corax' initial dissent with Magnus and antagonistic view toward psykers is not easily forgotten. This results in Revenants librarians being viewed with just a touch of suspicion until their bravery and dedication are proven - in which case they are hailed as much as any other tested battle-brother. Librarians follow Codex heraldry. While librarians aren't assigned specifically to any one company permanently, they are often assigned in units to deploy with a company or task force; on occasion, a more senior librarian may command a unit made up of elements from different squads.

As a legacy from their parent legion, the Revenants have a healthy respect for technology and thus their chapter Techmarines. While the chaplains may mutter about the Techmarines' leanings toward the Cult Mechanicus, no battle-brother would ever question a Techmarine's loyalty, bravery, or dedication. The rust-red of the Techmarines' armor may be found repeated on the chapter's tanks and APC's as well as on its Thunderfire cannons.

The Revenants have a good working relationship with the Archmagos of the nearby Forge World Tolkhan, even having taken the field alongside Tolkhan's skitarii in defense of some of the local resource worlds against Twilight Swords corsairs or Freebooterz. While nothing is confirmed, there have been rumors of the chapter working with the Forge World in creating a variant of the Land Speeder Storm enabled to carry two terminators and a power-armored pilot - most likely for use in transporting terminator-armored librarians or chaplains.

While the Revenants adhere to the Codex Astartes as far as logistical assignments, heraldry, etc., they do not use the traditional order of companies. Rather, there are 9 battle companies and no reserve or scout companies. Scouts are distributed among the squads in each company, and are rotated regularly among the different types of squad (and among the apothecarium and armory, as well) in order to expose each scout to the different specialties and determine each scout's area of expertise. At any given time, a scout is attached to each assault, tactical, devastator, and bike squad per company. All wear scout armor, of course. Company and squad command tends to be rather flexible; it is common for certain elements of a company to be fielded, or even certain elements from various squads if the occasion calls for it. These mixed squads will generally be commanded by a chaplain or librarian in order to avoid having to take authority from one sergeant over another. Squads are composed as follows: - terminator squad: 1 sgt., power weapon and storm bolter 1x power fist/assault cannon 1x power fist/heavy flamer 1x power fist/storm bolter/cyclone missile launcher 1x chainfist/storm bolter 3x power fist/storm bolter

Having existed for less than two centuries, the Revenants have few dreadnoughts. However, dreadnoughts are revered in the chapter; while some chapters find the idea of interment in such a construct distatsteful, the Revenants view it as yet another chapter in the cycle of undeath and service to the Emperor. Brother Carrollus, a venerable dreadnought of the Raven Guard, volunteered to come with Dyvik upon the instatement of the chapter - he is now one of Dyvik's most trusted advisors and holds a place on the chapter council.

Physically, there are even fewer variations in appearance among the brothers of the Revenants than there are in other chapters. This is due to both the uniform pale skin and black hair and eyes caused by the faulty melanchrome organ, and the rigorous reconstruction and constant purification of the Revenants' gene-seed. Facial features are individual, of course; and the more senior brothers develop individual patterns of scarring as a side-effect of the repeated trauma of mucranoid activation.

The chapter follows Codex Astartes heraldry. Armor is black, with underlayered systems in grey and flame-orange trim on the pauldrons and vambraces. The chapter badge is displayed normally and consists of a bone-colored skull facing, with flames erupting from the open mouth and the eye sockets. On banners, etc., this is commonly displayed on a field of rust-red. Squad markings are displayed in the company color, as is the squad number on the left knee. Terminators have their helmets painted in their company color, and the squad number on the right knee.

As may be expected, wargear tends to be very well maintained and cared-for. Officers generally wear Mark VIII armor, and take advantage of the improved vox systems which this armor offers. Power weapons generally take the form of typical Imperial power swords - however, mounted troops will usually use a sword more like a shashka or occassionally a szabla or yatagan. Officers and veterans of notable engagements are often awarded a dagger to wear, which takes the form of a kindjal - this is rarely used as a combat weapon, and is usually used to administer a coup d'grace or to execute a prisoner.

There is no telling exactly what's next for the Revenants - however, all indications point to a large mobilization to one of two places. Some believe that the chapter is due to be sent to Armageddon to help continue the fighting there; the presence of the White Scars and their successor chapter there, though, may preclude the diversion of another mobile, fluid chapter. More likely, a large detachment will be sent towards the Eye of Terror to help prosecute one of the aftermaths of the 13th Black Crusade - on the ground on Cadia, against the Orks in some of the outlying Cadian areas, etc. Of course, there is also enough to do closer to home against Waaagh! Garaghak or the Maynarkh Dynasty of Necrons.

"We've been over this. We don't shoot first and ask questions later.""Of course! We never ask questions."